KCL student suspended after security staff allegedly pushed him twice

King's College London has suspended an international student for an incident that occurred during the peaceful occupation of the James Clerk Maxwell Building.
On Wednesday, Khaled Eissa, an MA student from Egypt, was sent a letter detailing his suspension following an altercation with a security guard a week earlier
The King's security staff tried to remove Eissa from the James Clerk building on March 15th.
According to an open letter released by the occupiers, who have since left the occupation, the security guard allegedly provoked and pushed Khaled twice without attempting to de-escalate the situation.
The letter also states that witness statements including that of lecturers testify that the security staff "engaged in an inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour by provoking and pushing the student twice, without attempting to use de-escalation techniques."
The occupiers go on to add that the university and its staff should be held accountable for their failure in "not being able to understand the warning signs and negotiate a positive outcome."
The university suspended Khaled using "emergency powers" available to the Principal under the Academic Regulation, pending a misconduct hearing.
He received a letter confirming his suspension on Wednesday 21 March.
The regulation states that "the power to suspend or exclude under this provision is to protect the members of the College community in general or a particular member or members, and the power shall be used only where the Principal or (or nominee) is of the opinion that it is urgent and necessary to take such action."
The academic regulation states that a suspension of this nature is not a penal measure.
However, the open letter points out the punitive effect of the suspension, highlighting that the suspension would potentially put Khaled at risk of losing his Tier 4 student visa and "overall impact his studies, well-being and future career prospects."
Over 300 students and academics, have signed the open letter urging the university to reinstate Khaled and desist from further punishment.
A King's College London spokesperson said:
"We can confirm that an alleged altercation involving unacceptably aggressive behaviour took place last Monday at our Waterloo campus. A student has subsequently been suspended pending further investigations."More to follow